Why Do you Often Stop your Impulsive Behavior at the Last Moment?

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review - Intentional inhibition, a critical ability of human cognitive control, is the capacity to internally withhold a to-be-performed action. In the voluntary...     

Harnessing the Power of a Novel Program for Dynamic Balance Perturbation with Supported Body Weight

Abstract

Self-initiated postural adjustments commonly occur in daily life. To accessibly measure this type of dynamic balance, we developed a simple computer program to induce virtual perturbations and combined it with a commercially available balance board and portable EMG system to measure resulting self-initiated postural adjustments. When performing perturbed balance tests, safety harness with body weight support (BWS) is often used. However, influences of these harnesses on postural reactions are not well known. This study investigated the sensitivity of our assessment tool under different BWS conditions and muscle responses during postural adjustments following perturbation at different directions. Fifteen neurologically intact participants performed self-initiated postural adjustments under conditions with: (1) no harness; (2) harness with no BWS; and (3) harness with 10% BWS. Postural adjustment time and muscle activities of the lower leg were measured. We observed significant increases in postural adjustment time in the harness with no BWS condition and differneces in lower leg muscles response to virtual perturbation. Our findings suggest that the combination of our customized program with EMG is a sensitive and convenient tool to measure postural adjustments that approximate real-world scenarios. This method can be used with light body weight support to ensure safety without influencing muscle synergies.     

音乐训练对4~5岁幼儿普通话声调范畴感知能力的影响

已有研究表明, 音乐训练能提高成人对普通话声调范畴感知的能力, 此种训练能否增强幼儿对声调范畴感知的能力?训练效果是否受到训练时间长短的影响?本研究对幼儿园4~5岁幼儿进行音乐训练, 共40人, 分成音乐组和控制组, 每组各20人, 追踪考察音乐训练和训练时间长短对幼儿声调范畴感知能力提升的影响。实验采用前测-中测-后测设计, 对音乐组开展每周3次, 每次30分钟, 以小钟琴演奏为主的音乐训练; 控制组不进行任何有组织的训练活动。结果发现, 12个月音乐训练提升了幼儿对声调范畴感知的程度, 表现为音乐组幼儿范畴边界宽度显著小于控制组, 而训练6个月时, 该优势并不显著。此外, 12个月音乐训练还加强了幼儿区分范畴内刺激声学差异的敏感性, 而对范畴间刺激的区分能力无显著提高。本研究结果支持了音乐学习的歌剧理论(OPERA), 音乐训练具有跨域迁移作用, 可提升4~5岁幼儿对普通话声调范畴感知的能力, 但只有长期持续的训练才可能真正提高幼儿的音高精细化加工水平。     

病前智力估计:效度与局限

病前智力的估计是甄别、诊断智能衰退的必要条件,有重要的临床和科研意义。依据学业成绩和工作成就等背景资料可综合评估病前智力的水平与结构,但其定性的结论不利于科研,且难免主观。依赖人口统计学变量的回归公式能客观给出确切的、具有一定效度的估计数,但会高估或低估极端智商。依据当前测验成绩的估计有“保持”和最佳作业两种模式,这种估计个体特异高,但被试在选用测验上的当前表现能否代表病前智力水平尚有争议。联合不同方法能提高预测效度。     

生活事件、性格对某些心身疾病的影响的调查分析

本文用生活事件经历调查表(LEES)对278名心身疾病者,282名癌症患者和 273名健康人(对照组)作调查。结果表明:心身疾病和癌症患者病前出现应激性事件的频度(人次),及对事件产生负性情绪体验的强度(得分)皆明显高于对照组。在应激性生活事件中,家庭事件因素的频度和强度均较高,从某种意义上说,它可能是心身疾病和癌症的重要前因之一。生活事件强度体验与个体个性特征、应付策略和社会支持有关。     

心理理论的遗传基础初探

心理理论在社会交往中起着关键作用,其认知过程包括对自我和他人的心理状态进行推断及预测下一步行为.心理理论在不同个体间具有差异,这种差异可能部分归因于与心理理论相关的神经化学物质如多巴胺、五羟色胺、催产素、血管加压素等.来自不同群体的研究结果还发现,与这些神经化学物质有关的基因多态性,如儿茶酚胺氧位甲基转移酶、多巴胺D4受体基因、5-羟色胺受体基因、催产素受体基因等都与心理理论的表现有关.     

独立预测作用,还是基础性影响？——价值观对集体行动的影响机制

为阐明价值观在集体行动参与中的地位和影响机制,研究者以利比亚事件为背景,针对现实和网络场域中不同程度的4类集体行动倾向,在天津市957名大学生中进行问卷调查研究,结果发现：价值观显著增加了低成本集体行动倾向解释率,并调节着情绪、工具性动机和社会认同对集体行动倾向的影响;中国人进行集体行动决策时具有集体主义理性计算特征;不同场域和程度的集体行动有其各自规律.结论：价值观在集体行动参与决策中是一种与社会认同类似的基础性变量.     

Prediction of true test scores from observed item scores and ancillary data

In many educational tests which involve constructed responses, a traditional test score is obtained by adding together item scores obtained through holistic scoring by trained human raters. For example, this practice was used until 2008 in the case of GRE^®General Analytical Writing and until 2009 in the case of TOEFL^® iBT Writing. With use of natural language processing, it is possible to obtain additional information concerning item responses from computer programs such as e‐rater^®. In addition, available information relevant to examinee performance may include scores on related tests. We suggest application of standard results from classical test theory to the available data to obtain best linear predictors of true traditional test scores. In performing such analysis, we require estimation of variances and covariances of measurement errors, a task which can be quite difficult in the case of tests with limited numbers of items and with multiple measurements per item. As a consequence, a new estimation method is suggested based on samples of examinees who have taken an assessment more than once. Such samples are typically not random samples of the general population of examinees, so that we apply statistical adjustment methods to obtain the needed estimated variances and covariances of measurement errors. To examine practical implications of the suggested methods of analysis, applications are made to GRE General Analytical Writing and TOEFL iBT Writing. Results obtained indicate that substantial improvements are possible both in terms of reliability of scoring and in terms of assessment reliability.     

Body Image Comparisons on Social Networking Sites and Chinese Female College Students’ Restrained Eating: The Roles of Body Shame,Body Appreciation,and Body Mass Index

Body image comparisons on social networking sites (SNS) have been found to be associated with disordered eating among western young women, however, the inner mechanism driving this association is largely unknown. Based on social comparison, sociocultural, and objectification theories, the present study aimed to investigate the association between body image comparisons on SNS and restrained eating, as well as the mediating role of body shame and the moderating roles of body appreciation and body mass index (BMI) among Chinese young adult women. A sample of 567 Chinese college women were recruited to complete a questionnaire assessing body image comparisons on SNS, body shame, body appreciation, restrained eating, and information about weight and height. Results showed that body image comparisons on SNS were positively associated with restrained eating and that body shame significantly mediated this association. Furthermore, body appreciation and BMI each moderated the association between body shame and restrained eating as well as the association between body image comparisons on SNS and restrained eating. These results not only have theoretical implications, but also provide guidance for prevention interventions targeting negative body image and disordered eating among college women.

     

The influence of family context on life,educational and occupational ideal among middle school students in China

This study examined the relationship between family context of middle school students on their educational and occupational ideals. Middle school students (N = 2000) responded to questions assessing family location, family structure, parental educational level and family economic status, as well as to the Middle School Students' Ideals Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that life, educational and occupational ideals of female students and students in lower grades were higher than that of male students and students in higher grades. Regression analysis indicated that paternal education level have a positive association with educational and occupational ideals, but not life ideals, and family economic status have a positive relation to life ideals, but not educational and occupational ideals. Moreover, the interaction between family economic status and family location has a negative association with students' life, educational and occupational ideals. These results suggest that different factors predicted different ideals of adolescents, and that family economic status had a negative moderating effect on the relationship between family location and ideals of students.